Canal Tunnels

Two rail tunnels, which run between the East Coast main line near Kings Cross station and the Thameslink route at St Pancras will allow passengers to travel from Peterborough and Cambridge directly to Blackfriars and beyond.

Key facts

Will be in use for passenger services in 2018

Canal Tunnels will link the East Coast main line and the Thameslink route at St Pancras

The Thameslink Programme is improving connections through London giving you better travel options to more destinations.

We are creating a brand new rail link allowing passengers to travel for the first time from Peterborough and Cambridge directly to Blackfriars and beyond.

To make this possible the Thameslink Programme is linking two rail tunnels in north London, which run between the East Coast main line near Kings Cross station and the Thameslink route at St Pancras station.

The Canal Tunnels were built at the same time as the redevelopment of St Pancras station between 2004 and 2006, with the intention that they would be used to provide this essential link under the Thameslink Programme. We are now working to install track, power, signalling and safety systems to run services through them from 2018.

Connecting these services is a vital part of delivering capacity improvements in and around London. Trains travelling through Canal Tunnels will provide up to eight of the possible 24 services an hour which will travel through central London when the Thameslink Programme is completed.

The new tunnels will allow passengers from Peterborough and Cambridge to travel directly to Blackfriars and beyond